Space enthusiasts will now be able to enjoy fine dining while watching the sun rise over the Earth's curvature at 100,000 feet above sea level on a six-hour "journey to the edge of space."
The unique offering from SpaceVIP, an expedition company based in New York City offering space-related experiences, marks "the first-ever stratospheric dining experience," the company told Newsweek, the price for which starts at $495,000 per ticket.
The new experience will mark the first in a series of voyages from Space Perspectives, the world's first carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company, which are curated by SpaceVIP.
Six guests will be able to join Danish chef Rasmus Munk, founder of the two Michelin-starred Copenhagen restaurant Alchemist, aboard the Spaceship Neptune, "the world's only carbon-neutral spaceship," for a multi-course dinner served "above 99 percent of Earth's atmosphere," three times higher than you would fly in a commercial airliner.
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Roman Chiporukha, founder of SpaceVIP, told Newsweek: "The purpose of this expedition is to harness the transformative power of space travel to elevate human consciousness and to proliferate universal space literacy.
"This is why all proceeds will be directed to the Space Prize Foundation," he noted, in support of promoting gender equality in science and technology.
While some were blown away by the "out of this world" and "exciting" new expedition, the extravagant offering has also faced backlash on Instagram, such as from user mariesdevrio, who said: "Not sure if this planet can still afford having billionaires to be honest ... or their pleasure trips. But yea, have fun up there."
"This is beyond stupid as we literally have people starving here!!!!" said craftbeer_chica.
User thibdwlf said: "Save the world instead of creating stupid things like that ..."
Asked about the potential backlash that the lavish dining experience may get amid the current economic climate and other global crises, Chiporukha said: "This is exactly the conversation we want to be having. There were problems on Earth 600 years ago when explorers sailed across the ocean in the spirit of exploration. There are problems today. But it is those who ventured beyond who paved the way for advancements that changed the world.
"If we zoom out for a moment, we realize that most of the technological innovation that we take for granted, actually comes from the ecosystem of space development and there is still very little knowledge base in the public about why space is important," the SpaceVIP founder added.
The most successful apps developed in the last 20 years are based on technology that was created for space, he explained, noting that Google Maps, Waze, Uber and Facebook all utilize GPS, while Zoom and WhatsApp calls are enabled by satellites.
"The list is extensive. I think people do not realize these overwhelming contributions in the criticism around the private sector of space exploration. If most of this technological innovation that we take for granted today was actually created decades ago, imagine what it will yield if we continue to invest and explore," he said.
Chiporukha went on to note that there are companies growing organic matter in space and once "we figure out how to grow plants in space with minimal water," these solutions can be applied on Earth, in places such as South Africa or California that are having unprecedented droughts.
"Our goal is to increase awareness and bring people together so that, in solidarity, we can come up with solutions that benefit us all," the SpaceVIP founder said.
As for making these experiences more affordable and available to the masses, Chiporukha said "it is only by launching these flights that we will be able to make them accessible to more people," explaining that in the 1920s, a ticket for a transatlantic flight was "prohibitively expensive and accessible only to the elite."
However, with advancements in technology and the growth of the airline industry, air travel became more affordable over time. "This is just the beginning of private space travel, so we absolutely see it going in the same direction," he said.
'A Completely Reimagined Spaceflight Experience'
The latest expedition aims to offer a "completely reimagined spaceflight experience," taking off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Spaceship Neptune is pulled up by a "spaceballoon" filled with hydrogen, a gas that is lighter than air, which allows it to float upward in the atmosphere.
This spaceballoon is large enough to fit an entire football stadium (650 feet/200 meters tall) inside when fully inflated, in order to hold the weight of the eight-person Spaceship Neptune capsule, according to the company.
From 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., guests will ascend to 100,000 feet above sea level to catch "the sunrise over the Earth's curvature," spending a full two hours 20 miles above Earth, before making a slow descent from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., according to SpaceVIP.
Guests don't require any special training to board the spaceship, but will be dressed by French fashion house Ogier, which will provide "made-to-measure outfits" designed with advanced fabric technology developed specifically for this mission.
SpaceVIP chose Ogier to design the outfits, which are still in the development phase, for "their technologically innovative approach to functional clothing design," Chiporukha said.
He also noted that Munk was chosen for this project for how he "approaches the dining experiences he creates through the lens of social impact."
The chef's offerings aboard the spaceship will include dishes inspired by the role that space exploration has played in the last 60 years of human history, as well as its impact on society, the company said, ultimately "challenging the diner to reexamine our relationship with Earth and those who inhabit it."
Bookings for the latest stratospheric dining experience are currently available for late 2025 and early 2026.
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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